Recent investigations of the behavioral effects of alcohol and alcohol-related cognitions have pointed to expectancies as an important variable in both habitual drinking patterns and actual behavior while drinking. The intent of the present program of investigation is to critically evaluate alcohol expectancy patterns within the family context for high-risk and abusing adolescent populations and to begin to utilize the information derived from this research to minimize post-treatment relapse in adolescent alcoholics. Our recent efforts to define the domain of alcohol-related expectancies have produced, for the first time, a means of individualized assessment of alcohol expectancies for both adolescents and adults. Thorough examination of alcohol expectancy patterns within the family, and critical cognitive factors in the development of abusive drinking or naturally occurring deterrents to alcohol abuse can be ascertained and incorporated in the prevention of relapse following adolescent alcohol treatment. The most recent evidence by this author and others indicates that adolescent problem drinkers and adult alcoholics are discriminably different from non-abusing peers in terms of their alcohol reinforcement expectancies. However, alcohol-related expectancies have not been examined in identified adolescent alcoholic populations and it is unknown whether such cognitive differences are unique to the abuser or consistent with an abusive family belief system. Further, investigations of determinants of relapse following adult alcohol treatment indicate that expectancies play a role in failure to remain abstinent. Thus, treatment strategies incorporating alcohol expectancies and highrisk relapse situations may improve the current effectiveness of adolescent alcoholism treatment by reducing post-treatment relapse. Specifically, the current proposal presents first an exploratory group comparison study of families with low-risk, high-risk and alcohol-abusing adolescents to determine critical expectancy patterns. In the second follow-up study, the determinants of adolescent relapse are identified and classified in conjunction with effective and non-effective resistance strategies. The third proposed study utilizes a standard, 3-group psychotherapy evaluation design to assess the impact of an adjunctive, expectancy-based relapse prevention treatment component on treatment outcome at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after discharge.